A variety of elongate medical devices exist that may be introduced into a patient for many different purposes. For example, elongate medical devices, such as wire guides, catheters, and the like, may be used to supply fluids, perform diagnostic or surgical procedures, implant devices, or introduce various medical instruments. These elongate medical devices may have a variety of shapes and sizes, but generally always include an elongate shaft ranging in length from several inches to several feet long, with the diameter of the shaft being much smaller than its length. Further, the elongate medical devices may include one or more lumens, and/or may have a distal end that is shaped or configured to carry out the specific medical procedure for which the device is designed. To assist in navigation of the medical device relative to the vasculature of the patient and/or other medical devices, all or a portion of the medical device may be coated with a hydrophilic coating.
These elongate medical devices may be packaged for sterilization and shipping within an elongate medical device holder. Generally, the packaging will provide protection for the medical device and ensure the sterility of the device upon delivery. According to one example, the elongate medical device holder, and thus medical device, may be provided in a spiral configuration to make the holder and device more compact for placement in a sterilization pouch and/or to conserve space when shipping and storing the device. Before use of an elongate medical device having a hydrophilic coating, a clinician will typically hydrate the hydrophilic coating by introducing a liquid, such as saline, into the medical device holder. The medical device may then remain in the medical device holder until the clinician removes the medical device from the holder prior to use. A previously unrecognized problem of the elongate medical device, having a hydrated hydrophilic coating, sticking in the medical device holder during removal, particularly if a significant period of time has lapsed between hydration and removal, has been identified.
The present disclosure is directed toward one or more of the problems set forth above.